A new artist on Trade Street

Today I met with artist Jean McDowall. Jean specializes in pet and other animal portraiture. Her work is very detailed and beautiful. She has just moved into a new studio at 560 North Trade Street, Suite 114. Its in the lower level. Be sure to drop by and see her soon.

Valentine's day is coming!

Art pear has some great gifts for your sweetie.

We'll have extended hours this week.
Tuesday - Thursday
11am - 6pm
More new items every day

5 women/5 visions

Please join us for an evening of fun, food and art featuring elegant and distinctive works by Ellen Christian, Sherry Herzberg, Peggy Karpinski, Jean MacDowall and Shannon Rainey.

Thursday, December 6
4:00pm -7:00pm
The Community Arts Cafe
411 West 4th Street
Winston-Salem
Former information call: 336/793-8000

The Devil's in the Details

As an artist, I'm sure you are very particular when it comes to each piece of art you produce.  You are not satisfied until your "artist's eye" tells you the work is complete. The most successful artists are serious about the high quality of their work however seeing art through a buyer's eyes is something that does not come naturally to everyone.  Art buyers and collectors are extremely particular.  They demand attention to every detail and only choose artwork that will fit seamlessly into their homes or offices.  Sometimes what they think of as complete is not the same thing as an artist's idea of finished. 

 

No matter the medium - photography, sculpture, paintings, jewelry or fiber art - the presentation must be perfect.   Think of each work you create as the best piece you've ever done and treat it as such.

If you're a painter, for instance, look closely not only at the painting, but the framing.  Sometimes a beautiful painting is ruined by a shabby or cheap frame job.  In addition, a frame might be beautiful and expensive looking but overwhelming for the artwork it is paired beside.  I find when in doubt, simplicity is usually the right answer.

If you work on a stretched canvas, the edges must be finished in some way.  It doesn't necessarily have to be framed, but the paint should either continue along the edges or the sides should be painted a complimentary color.  One trick is to cover the sides with black duct tape.  This creates a finished look without getting paint in the wrong places.  

Attention to detail holds true with other art forms as well.  Step back and look at your work as if you were going to buy it.  If this seems difficult, another option is to ask someone you trust and admire to give you their opinion about what you could do to make your work more professional.  Pick out a few pieces and ask them to critique each one. 

It's not as difficult to hear constructive criticism as you might think.  A little is good for all of us from time to time. 

Goal Setting: Step 1

As an artist representative, one of the first questions I usually ask a client when discussing their career is "What are your goals"?

The answers are varied and sometimes surprising.  Some artists could care less about ever showing their work in a museum or leaving any sort of historical legacy.  They just want to make enough money so they can quit their day job. With other artists, money is not an important factor in their definition of success.  They want recognition from their peers and the public and the museum or gallery shows that go along with it.  Usually most artists fall somewhere in between and want a little of both. 

Before you can develop a strategy to achieve your goals, you need to identify them. You need to decide which one of these two definitions resonates with you.  Occasionally the path to each may overlap, but, more often than not, you will need to make very different decisions depending on which of these areas is MOST important.  So, take some time to really think about what it is that you want from your art career.